Barbary Coast
Avast m’hearties! All lovers of nautical tales in Hornblower fashion: here’s another series for you to enjoy. James Hayter is our hero, and a fine gentleman in the British Navy is he. It’s 1789 and Lieutenant Hayter, at home with his wife and infant son, awaits Admiralty instructions. When they come it’s not the expected command commission. Hayter must find his captain and return with him to London.
Once in London their commission is to take HM Expedient with the ten gun cutter, Curlew, and head for the Barbary Coast. But the orders come from sinister Sir Robert Greer; nothing is written down. Something is strangely awry. Then there is the trouble at Gibraltar and the peculiar Mr Sebastian, not to mention the infamous Barbary pirates. It’s an engrossing yarn.
Well written, with good period dialogue, a nice feeling for the attitudes and behaviour of officers and men, and knowledgeable about sailing ships. The cliffhanger ending is a sure hook for the next book.
